What is the significance of the "0xef 0xbb 0xbf" Byte Order Mark in PHP files and how can it affect image generation with GD-Library?

The "0xef 0xbb 0xbf" Byte Order Mark (BOM) in PHP files can cause issues when generating images with the GD-Library, as it can interfere with the image output and corrupt the image data. To solve this issue, the BOM should be removed from the PHP file to ensure proper image generation.

// Remove Byte Order Mark (BOM) from PHP file
function removeBOM($str) {
    if (substr($str, 0, 3) == pack("CCC", 0xef, 0xbb, 0xbf)) {
        $str = substr($str, 3);
    }
    return $str;
}

// Usage example
$phpFileContent = file_get_contents('example.php');
$phpFileContent = removeBOM($phpFileContent);
file_put_contents('example.php', $phpFileContent);